Frequently Asked Questions - Northfield

Excluded are the Birthplace, Round Top, and Homestead; the golf course and pool, the timberlands, 28 faculty residences, and the East Northfield Water Company. NMH is retaining 90 percent of its land holdings in Northfield.

The academic buildings and several faculty houses necessary to start a college on the core campus are ; only six current faculty members are affected. Also included are the Bookstore building, Revell, Holton, the nursery school, and Moore Cottage; in total the transaction includes 217 of NMH’s 2,184 acres in Northfield. NMH will continue to help operate the nursery school and Moore Cottage into 2010. Please see the Northfield campus map  for a visual representation of included properties.

David Green began Hobby Lobby in 1972 with 300 square feet of retail space. Hobby Lobby now has more than 430 stores in 35 states and employs 18,000 people nationwide and has annual sales of about $1.8 billion; the company is privately held and has a proven track record of supporting the missions of Christian educational institutions, including Zion Bible College in Haverill, Massachusetts, and Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Organizations wanting support for their missionary work seek out Hobby Lobby regularly. Needless to say, Hobby Lobby deeply values the Christian legacy of D. L. Moody in Northfield and all over the world.

The buyer has purchased the campus for the use of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, which plans to establish on the campus a college of Great Books, with an emphasis on the visual and performing arts.

Yes. We believe it is in the interest of the owner of the campus to be a good neighbor, and Hobby Lobby has expressed plans to welcome NMH alumni visitors.

Yes. Usage of the Auditorium for Sacred Concert is part of the agreement with Hobby Lobby. (This arrangement is subject to interruption pending potential renovations to the Auditorium.)

The new owner, Hobby Lobby, is interested in preserving the campus—including Sage Chapel—and helping to honor the Moody legacy. The Northfield History Project has already made a photographic and architectural record of the campus; developed an oral history project; and commissioned Lift Thine Eyes, a book that honors the broad heritage of the schools, with emphasis on the landscape, the architecture, and the Moody legacy. The owners will work with NMH to determine whether to move appropriate plaques and memorials over time to the NMH campus or to leave them in place. In addition, the majority of holdings of the NMH archives will continue to be housed in Dolben Library until we determine the appropriate long-term situation. NMH continues to own Round Top, the Birthplace, and Homestead.

The transaction preserves the historic Northfield campus and introduces an exciting new educational mission to the town of Northfield. NMH will avoid significant maintenance costs while retaining forestland, most faculty residences, the golf course, and the East Northfield Water Company. NMH values the expense avoidance over 10 years at $15 million and the retained properties at $9 million. This does not include the savings associated with avoided future costs of capital renewal of 500,000 square feet of historic buildings or the $100,000 purchase price.

The clearest benefit of the new college for the town of Northfield will be the likelihood of strong economic impact through new residents, new jobs, and new supporters of local businesses. The college will also attract speakers, performing artists, and other visitors, adding to the cultural and intellectual vibrancy of the town.

The pool and golf course were not part of the sale, and NMH will continue to operate them.

Ultimately, our goal is to have all faculty members concentrated on the NMH campus. Most faculty members who still live in Northfield live in houses in the town (not on the core campus). The school is retaining ownership of many, though not all, homes in Northfield. To the extent that some faculty houses in the Town of Northfield are included in the sale, we are making arrangements to lease back those properties for a finite period to allow for smooth transitions.

In addition to the Moody legacy and other properties mentioned above, the school is retaining over 1,600 acres of timberland (see map), which we consider to be part of the school’s endowment—an important asset that will appreciate over time. With oversight by the trustees, the school has a sustainable long-range plan to manage these assets appropriately.

Five years ago, NMH hired LandVest to find a buyer for the Northfield campus. LandVest operates throughout New England and is a well-respected real estate appraisal and marketing firm specializing in high-end and specialty properties. From the outset, Dick Perkins, founder and longtime CEO of LandVest, has been the schools account manager. LandVests efforts have been complemented by two independent consultants, Bob Macomber '60 and Joe Ribeiro '54, both of whom have enduring ties to NMH. Former faculty member and longtime NMH community member Carol Lebo completed the Northfield marketing team. The closure of the marketing process is consistent with our initial expectation of an approximately five-year marketing period.

We are excited by the stewardship interest of the buyer, their track record of mission-focused philanthropy, their knowledge of caring for complex facilities, and their commitment to this property. The new owner has made a formal commitment to invest more than $5 million in the campus and in support of the intended mission there. The purchase price is a relatively small part of the commitment for any buyer. Maintaining the campus and generating the funds needed to support a mission as well as the campus are clear challenges for any owner of a property like the Northfield campus; Hobby Lobby’s track record of investment and care gives us confidence that the Northfield campus is in good hands.

Yes. We originally determined to find a buyer whose use would complement the educational and cultural missions and programs of NMH; who will use campus assets productively; and whose use would be consistent with the character of the Town of Northfield and respect the history of the Northfield campus. 

While we expect that Christian faith will help shape the mission of the college, we also understand the philosophy to be centered on intellectual engagement with classic literary works, which address the full range of human experience. The C.S. Lewis Foundation will be best able to answer specific questions related to pedagogy and program.

We expect to be very good and supportive neighbors.

No. Northfield Mount Hermon is, and will remain, Northfield Mount Hermon.